Final Test
by Inuki-chan09
Summary: Kagome must pass her final test to become an official miko, but can she survive the drastic changes her life will undergo? What role will a certain hanyou play in her future? InuKag RR
1. Who the hell are you?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor anything associated with Inuyasha. The plot line for this story came out of nowhere. I hope you guys like this as much as I'm going to like writing it. This is one of my best ideas yet!

Pairing: Inu/Kag

Rating: Mostly T, but there will be several lemon scenes toward the end.

Summary: Inuyasha grew too greedy when he was younger. He attempted to take the shikon no tama from its priestess. She ended up dying shortly after and Inuyasha was cursed to live in a land that was unattainable to all but him and one other. He is to live in solitude until he can learn to love unselfishly. How can he learn to love when he is alone? Will he ever be free?

Chapter 1: Where the hell am I and who the hell are you?

Kagome made her way down the road from her village. Her mother, brother, and grandfather were back at their hut and Kagome was going to meet them after her miko training. Her sensei, Kaede, had let her out early today and she was planning on taking advantage of this gift. Her miko robes fluttered in the breeze as she picked up her pace.

Kagome was a beautiful girl of 18 years. Her deep bluish black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail at the base of her neck; her bangs fluttering crazily in the wind. Her blue miko robes accented her blue eyes and melded perfectly to her curvaceous body. It was unbelievable for a girl her age, with her beauty, to be unmarried, but being a miko usually constituted a woman to be celibate. Plus, she had no real interest in any of the young men of their village, though many had their eye on her; her friend Akitoki in particular. He didn't seem to understand that she didn't want to marry him, not in this life time and surely not in the following lifetimes. Yet, she took this all in stride.

She was unprepared as a little puff ball can shooting towards her. As soon as he made contact, the little fox demon in her arms, Shippo was his name, started chattering to her uncontrollably.

"Kagome! I could smell you all the way from the village and I couldn't believe you were coming already, you said you wouldn't be back till later, but here you are! I can't believe it! Guess what I did today? I tricked Souta into thinking I was your mom and I sent him into the corner of the hut for 15 minutes until your mom really came into the hut and asked him what he was doing. Then he chased me for a while and your mom asked us to go and get water from the river, so we did and then we started dinner and then I smelled you so I ran all the way here and now I'm in your arms and I'm telling you all about my day. Wasn't it great! Why aren't you talking?"

After her brain managed to actually process all that the little kitsune had told her, she started to chuckle at the thought of Souta being in time out for nothing. Her little kitsune was getting better at his illusions every day. Kagome had found the little guy when he was about 3 years old, only a little baby. His parents had been killed by some thunder demons in the area and Kagome had graciously taken the poor thing in as her own son. She couldn't very well leave the little guy to his own devices when he didn't know anything about the world and his parents were no longer around to teach him. That had been 4 years ago. Now the little scamp was running around and talking up a storm to anyone that would listen to him. The village had been wary of him at first, but since he was just a baby at the time he was brought there, the villagers had quickly learned to accept and even like her little kit. She loved him like her own flesh and blood and she couldn't be happier that she wouldn't be spending the rest of her life alone.

She finally realized that he was looking at her expectantly; waiting for her answer to his questions.

"Yes, that was very good Shippo, but you shouldn't play jokes like that on Souta. That was mean to make him sit in the corner. Yet, if you were able to fool him, then you must be getting really good at your illusions! I'm very proud of you Shippo. I was just taking in all that you were telling me. Now, are you ready to head back home and get some dinner?"

"Yes okaa-san! I haven't eaten anything since lunch!"

"Haha, I would hope not Ship, you better not be ruining your appetite for dinner."

"Of course not okaa, I wouldn't do that!"

He put on the most innocent puppy eyes he could and watched as her resolve crumbled.

"I believe you Ship, I just worry sometimes. Well, let's hurry home and get ready for dinner with mama-baa-chan, Souta, and ji-chan."

Kagome continued on her way home, Shippo in her arms, thinking about what was to happen tomorrow. Tomorrow was her final test. All mikos had to go threw several tests before they were allowed to preside over a village as the official miko. Kagome had already passed both of her beginning tests, each consisting of her having to defeat a youkai that was attacking their village. The final task was not allowed to be revealed until she was ready to take it. Tomorrow she would learn what her final test was, and she hoped that she was prepared to handle it. The penalty for failure was 2 more years of training and then she would have to perform all 3 tests again. Failure was not an option.

Kagome walked up the path that led to her family's little hut on the edge of the village. Shippo continued to twitter about the aspects of his day, and she nodded and "ooo-ed and ahhh-ed" in the right places as she made her way into the hut.

"Kagome, dear, you're home already! I thought you would still be at training, since your test is tomorrow."

"Okaa, Kaede-sensei let me out early to rest up. I'm really nervous about tomorrow and I was loosing concentration so Kaede-sensei let me go. What are we having for dinner?"

"I'm making your favorite tonight, sweetie. Shippo, could you go and get Souta and Ji-chan?"

Simultaneous cries of "ODEN!" and "Yes Obaa-chan!" sounded through the hut as Kagome headed to her room to change into a more comfortable kimono and Shippo rushed off to get Souta and Ji-chan. The family convened at the dinner table and ate the oden through a string of conversation ranging from Kagome's test the following day and Shippo's joke on Souta, to Mama Higurashi's day at the market and Ji-chan's boring day of napping and talking with the other elder's of the village.

When dinner was over with, Kagome headed to her room to meditate and then sleep. She knew that tomorrow was going to be the hardest day of her life so far. She just hoped to pass. It was humiliating for a priestess to fail her final test. Even if she retook the training and tests and passed, it would always hang over her head like a rainy cloud that she had failed the first time, and it would discredit her for the rest of her life. After several hours of meditating, she noticed that the sun had set and Shippo was curled into a ball on her futon. She got up and changed into her sleeping yukata and slid under the covers with her little kit.

_**The Next Day**_

Kagome dressed in her blue miko robes and bid her family good bye. They wished her luck as she treaded down the path to Kaede's hut. There were butterflies in her stomach as she drew closer to the old miko's hut. She knew that her entire life hinged on this one day, and how she did during her test. Kaede was waiting for her outside of her hut.

"Ahhh, Kagome. You have arrived. Are you ready to proceed with your final test?"

"Yes I am Kaede-sensei; when ever you wish to begin."

"We shall begin now. You task is to make your way to Mount Hakurei. You are to live in the wilderness of that mountain for the next two weeks. This will not be an easy task. The mountain was once pure, but has now been tainted. No one is completely sure of what caused the taint and no one has ever come across any evidence to point to what the taint is. All we know is that the mountain was once pure and good; youkai were not allowed within so many feet of the mountain for fear of being purified. Yet, one day, about 500 years ago, the mountain was suddenly overrun with youkai. Holy men and priestesses were able to salvage much of the mountain, but there are still many youkai living there. You must live among them for the next two weeks and then return to this village in one piece. No one can help you and you are not to return until the two weeks are up. Do you understand and accept this task that has been given to you?"

"Yes Kaede-sensei. I understand and accept the task you have presented to me. I am afraid that I am not packed for such a trip."

"Do not fret over that trivial matter. Your bags have already been packed and you are ready to proceed to Mt. Hakurei."

"Thank you very much Kaede-sensei. I shall be taking my leave then. I shall see you in two weeks."

"Yes, I shall see you in two weeks Kagome. You take care of yourself and good luck. I know you can do this. You are a very talented young woman. Come back to us safely."

Kaede lead Kagome to where her bag had been packed for her and she then proceeded to make her way out of the village. She hadn't done a whole lot of traveling in her life, only to the neighboring villages and back. Now she was being instructed to make her way to Mt. Hakurei? She wasn't sure how long it would take to get there or what to expect when she actually did get there. This was a very unexpected task to be given.

Kagome made her way across feudal Japan as she continued her journey to Mt. Hakurei. It took her a day and a half of walking to actually get to the foot of the mountain. Once she got there, she wasn't sure of where to camp. Kagome decided to make camp as far up the mountain as she could get. Kaede-sensei had been correct. There were many youkai here and many of them challenged her. 'Why the hell can't these youkai just leave me be? I'm not here to purify them. Stupid youkai.' Kagome continued to mentally rant as she stalked up the mountain.

Near the top, Kagome was suddenly stopped by a shield that was set up around the top of the mountain. The entire top fourth of the mountain was behind this force. Kagome took a deeper look and realized that there was a miko barrier set up that was to keep everything out. She reached her hand up and brushed the barrier, surprised when her hand was not repelled as she had been several moments before. The barrier remained intact, but she was able to pass through, so she stepped her entire body through it. When she tried to step back through, though, the barrier refused to let her back out. It was then that Kagome realized that not only was the barrier up to keep things out, it was also meant to keep something in.

She tried for several minutes to push her way through the barrier, but was unsuccessful and she even received a mild zap for her efforts on her final try. She realized that she was stuck, and hopefully she would be able to find a way out within the next two weeks so that her family and friends did not worry about her.

The sound of a twig snapping, to her left, put Kagome on guard. She didn't know what it was that this barrier kept in, and she wasn't sure she was ready to find out. She quickly jumped up, bag on her back, and carefully made her way toward a cave she could see a few hundred feet about her. She climbed up until she was able to reach the cave. Her miko senses told her that there was nothing in the cave and so she decided to make her camp there, so that she would have shelter from the elements and possible youkai. Her movements in setting up the camp were sure and practiced, as camping was one of the aspects of her training. She moved around the little camp, setting up her bed and the fire, unaware of the watchful gaze that rested upon her.

When her camp was finally set, she decided to cook the last of the rabbit she had killed for lunch. With the rabbit roasting on a spit over the fire, Kagome decided to make use of the little hot spring she noticed in the back of the cave, several feet from her camp site. Her bath was enjoyable and relaxing as the water was not too hot and not too cold. It seemed as though it were just the way she liked it. She finally got out of the hot spring and dressed in her sleeping yukata. The rabbit was done and she sat down to eat her meal. This didn't seem to be as bad as she had imagined it to be. The way Kaede-sensei had told of this test, she had imagined something a little more difficult, but who was she to question Kaede-sensei.

Kagome cleaned up after her dinner and decided to get in a little bit of meditation before she turned in for the evening. Just as she was sitting down to meditate; a twig snapping caused her to start. She grabbed her bow and quiver and made her way to the mouth of the cave. She looked around the clearing at the entrance, but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. She waited a few seconds and was about to return to her fire and bed when a figure darted through the trees and jumped to land directly in front of her.

"Who the fuck are you and why the hell are you on my mountain!"

Wow everyone. This just came to me out of no where and I had to write it down. I hope you all like this; please review to let me know if I should continue! I hope everyone's having a good day!


	2. Difficulties and a place to stay

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor anything associated with Inuyasha.

Pairing: Inu/Kag

Thankies to the people who reviewed and let me know that they liked this story! I appreciate all the feed back I get. To all the people who have read this story and are going to read this, I hope you all enjoy!

Now, on with the story!

"_Who the fuck are you and why the hell are you on my mountain!"_

Kagome screamed and stumbled back away from the person in front of her. Her foot hit a rock at the base of the cave and she went tumbling onto her ass, spraining her ankle in the process. She looked at the man (?) in front of her and nearly screamed again. This wasn't a normal man. She had no problems with hanyou or youkai that were peaceful, but this man had scared the crap out of her. He was looking down at her with an angry look upon his face. Kagome took a moment to look upon his person.

The man before her was gorgeous. He was tall, but not too tall; probably a head taller than she was. His arms were crossed over his chest and any muscles that he may have had were hidden by the billowing sleeves of his scarlet haori. He was looking down his nose at her like she was the bug under his sandal. His angry golden eyes were like pools of molten amber, shimmering in the light of the moon. A scowl was set across his face and his black eyebrows were turned down in an angry fashion. The most telling of his features were his hair and ears. His silvery white hair was long; down to his waist, and his ears were perched upon the top of his head. The soft looking dog ears twitched in the breeze of the night. All together he was a completely intimidating and yet alluring spectacle in front of her. She couldn't seem to gather her thoughts enough to form a complete sentence as all that came out of her mouth were broken versions of the questions she wished to ask.

"Who are…how did you…what hap…ohhh."

She finally just decided to be quiet. She wasn't sure what to expect from him and she didn't want to anger him any further than she seemed to have already done. Thoughts of what to actually say to him if he gave her the chance to ask questions consumed her mind and she completely forgot that he was standing directly in front of her.

He wasn't sure what to make of the funny young girl in front of him. He hadn't had contact with anyone in so long that is was weird to see her sitting on the floor of this cave. He didn't think anyone was supposed to be able to get through the barrier that kept him captive, but apparently the barrier was weakening or something because she was definitely in front of him. He wasn't hallucinating this time. He yearned for human contact and knew that if he scared her too much he would be denied that which he so desperately wanted. To get answers he needed to make her feel more comfortable. He shook his head of all the thoughts that were swirling around and turned his attention to that young woman and the sight that greeted him almost made him laugh. He sat down and turned to her, but as he went to speak the thoughts just wouldn't form. He couldn't seem to communicate with her.

Kagome finally focused her attention on the man in front of her and watched as his expressions changed with his thoughts. One minute he was angry, then thoughtful, and then suddenly his demeanor softened a bit. He still looked down at her, but he unfolded his arms and took a seat next to her at the mouth of the cave. He sat Indian style and refolded his arms over his chest. Kagome looked over at him curiously as he seemed to almost take on a friendly feeling. He looked like he was about to say something, but when it didn't seem as though he was going to say anything Kagome decided to start up a conversation.

"So, what's your name?"

"Huh? Oh, my name is Inuyasha."

"I'm Kagome, nice to meet you. Are you the only one that lives up on the top of Mt. Hakurei?

"Yes. In case you hadn't noticed the barrier that is constructed around here, it keeps me in. I cannot leave. It also is supposed to keep others out."

"Why is that? Why are you the only one stuck up here?"

"That is none of your concern."

His face took on a look of anger and sadness, and Kagome didn't really want to press the issue. She didn't want to scare him off. If he was the only one up here, and she was stuck too, she didn't want to go the next two weeks without any contact with anything.

"I believe you are trespassing on my land wench."

"Well excuse me; I didn't know you were here. I came through the barrier and now I can't leave. I guess you'll just have to deal with me."

Inuyasha turned to watch her limp around the fire, trying to finish setting up her camp site. She had left her bedding to do last; having set it out, but not set it up. He watched as she moved around, limping from the twisted ankle she had gotten when she tripped over the rock. He felt kind of bad. It was her fault for not paying attention to where she was backing up to, but she probably would have done that if he hadn't monopolized her attention. He might as well take her back to his home and fix up her ankle so that he wouldn't feel so guilty about it. He stood up and strode towards her watching as she sat down dejectedly and began to pick at the burned meat.

"Do you want help with that ankle? I'm pretty good at wrapping up injuries."

Kagome started in surprise and turned to him, her eyes as big as dinner plates. She watched and waited as he came towards her and held out a hand to her. She took it and he helped her to her feet. She was looking at him in amazement as he began to move out of the cave.

"Are you coming? Or are you just going to sit there and limp around for the next couple of days?"

"Oh, yes, thank you!"

Kagome scrambled up to follow him, but when she went to grab her bag and supplies, she stumbled over more rocks and ended up falling over, causing more pain to her sprained ankle. Inuyasha shook his head.

"You'll have to leave the bag and bedding. You won't need it anyway. You can't stay in my house."

Kagome was taken back in surprise. She was kind of offended and somewhat pissed off. 'Why the hell can't I stay at his home? Is it because I'm human? But he's half human as well. Why is he being so nice, but not at the same time? I'm confused.'

"Why can't I stay at your house?"

"I live alone. I don't like living with people. There is a reason I've been sealed up here by myself. Now are you coming or not?"

"Well…I guess I'll come."

Inuyasha began to walk away in the direction of his humble abode, Kagome trailing slightly behind him. There was no talking while they walked. Inuyasha was deep in though about why he was doing this for the silly human and Kagome was wondering why she was going with this strange hanyou that she didn't know. He didn't even notice that she was lagging behind due to her injury. She didn't seem to notice either, just continued to limp along behind him.

Kagome's curiosity was piqued now. She wondered what he had done, or what had happened to land him sealed upon the peak of a mountain by himself. I very powerful miko had to have made that barrier. If Kagome, who possessed extensive miko powers, could not leave either, then the barrier was very powerful. She idly wondered how long he had been sealed here. He could have been here for a couple of days, a couple of years, or a couple of centuries. He obviously couldn't leave, and since he obviously didn't want to talk about his life, she doubted she would be getting any information from him. It was sad really. One shouldn't be confined in the way that he was, especially one of youkai descent. It was the nature of youkai to be wild and free, not confined and alone. Even hanyous did not deserve this kind of treatment. Again she wondered what had caused his imprisonment. She'd just have to hope that he would be willing to open up.

Inuyasha abruptly wrapped an arm around her slender waist and jumped high into the trees. Kagome was about to scream when she noticed that he was running from branch to branch, moving ever higher into the trees. Out of nowhere a house like structure appeared out of the foliage. It looked like a giant tree fort, like the one's the village boys had constructed a few years back. There were obvious differences between the boys' tree fort and Inuyasha's house. His was more elegantly designed and was constructed in a more skilled fashion. The walls were made of tree trunks stacked and tied together. The roof was made of sheets of tree bark that had apparently been stripped from the tree trunks. There were several windows cut into the trunks and a reed mat door. There seemed to be several "houses" that were placed on different branches and rope bridges connected them all. It was amazing that he was able to have something so elaborate when there didn't seem to be any possible way for some of the luxuries he possessed to be here. How did he get rope? How did he get the furniture that she could see through the windows? She wasn't sure, but some of those possessions couldn't have been made from the resources around the forest that he was confined to.

Inuyasha was lost in his thoughts. He was carrying her to his home, planning on enjoying dinner with her and then letting her go. He may have been starved for human contact, but he had no desire to have her spending more time than necessary in his home. She was dangerous. He knew that she couldn't stay. He only had so many years to learn his lesson before the barrier on the mountain solidified and he would be stuck there until he died. If he had kept track of the years correctly, he only had the rest of this year to do as he had been instructed. 8 months tops. He didn't want to die, but he wasn't sure what else he could do about it. Suddenly a thought that he hadn't been able to comprehend came to mind. The miko had told him that he would need to learn to love unselfishly before he could ever hope to move on. He would be left to himself until one person came along. This person would be the only one who would be able to come through the barrier. Kagome had come through the barrier. In the 500 years he had been sealed here, no one had come until Kagome had showed up that day. Was he to expect that Kagome was his only chance at freedom? I guess so.

Kagome thought that his home was very comfortable. There were pieces of furniture everywhere, pieces that she didn't recognize. She was curious as to why there was a table that was waist high when all the traditional tables were only several inches high. Curious indeed.

Inuyasha made his way towards the room that served as the "infirmary". When ever he actually hurt himself to the point where he needed to dress the wound, he came here where he had all sorts of bandages and salves to put on and fend of infection. He grabbed a couple of wraps that he could bind her ankle with, and made his way back towards the main room contained Kagome.

Kagome decided to make herself comfortable on a pile of pillows that were near a traditional style table. She was admiring the artwork that lined the walls and the intricate designs crafted into the wooden walls when Inuyasha made his entrance into the room again. He swiftly made his way towards her and sat directly beside her. He looked towards her and seemed to be waiting for something. After a minute of confusion, Kagome yelped in surprise as the hanyou grabbed her ankle and turned her towards him. He set her ankle in his lap and began to sort out the wrappings that he planned on using to dress her injury. He began to efficiently wrap up her ankle as she studied his facial expressions. He seemed to be deep in thought. He was really cute when he was concentrating Kagome realized. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth scrunched up, the tip of his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth. He looked quite comical and Kagome knew that she had to refrain from giggling lest she irritate him and he kick her out sooner than he was planning to already.

It took him several minutes to finish what he was doing and when he was done he turned away like he hadn't been doing anything. Kagome felt a little put off as he seemed to close up emotionally. Something bad must have happened to him for him to be so cut off from the world in every aspect of life. Kagome knew that she liked him, a little more than a celibate miko should like a guy, and she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to stay this far up on Mt. Hakurei for the next two weeks with him. He was so adorable one moment, and so closed off the next. He seemed to be a walking contradiction. He didn't seem to have an evil aura around him, but there was a dark cloud of something present on his aura. It signified a spot of hate for something among his emotions. There was a reason he had this spot and Kagome planned to learn why over the next two weeks. As much of a bad idea it was to stay where she was, she obviously couldn't leave. The barrier took care of that thought. She decided to start of a conversation with the brooding hanyou. The only way to get any answers was to get him to talk.

"Thank you for taking care of me. I know you didn't have to, but you did. I'm very grateful to you."

Inuyasha seemed to blush for a moment, but he turned too quickly for her to confirm that observation. He ducked his head down and away from her questioning gaze. He knew she wanted to know about his imprisonment and the barrier, but he wasn't sure he wanted to talk to her about that. It wasn't like she could do anything about it really. She couldn't stay. Her presence may have already made an impression upon his life, though it was little right now, there wasn't any way she could stay. If she stayed for some reason, she would be stuck inside this barrier too and then she would never see her friends and family again and there wouldn't be anything for her in here. Just him. He felt really selfish. He didn't want her to leave. He liked her; she was spunky and interesting to watch. Her emotions showed upon her face and they were as easy to read as a book. He needed to learn to love unselfishly and maybe she was the only chance he had at that. Maybe he could use her to get out of here. Anything was worth a try.

"It was nothing. You know…if you want, you can stay here. I know I said that I don't like people, but I think I could make an exception this one time. It does get kind of lonely here."

Inuyasha hoped that she would take him up on his offer. He desperately wanted to be free of his life long prison. Kagome was the solution that he was looking for and he needed to take this one chance that the kami's were presenting him with.

Kagome contemplated Inuyasha's offer. Kaede-sensei had told her that she was not to have outside help, but she figured that he couldn't be considered outside help if he didn't help her. If she just stayed with him, but hunted and did everything else for herself then it couldn't be considered as him helping her. Plus, Kaede-sensei wasn't there. It was just Kagome and Inuyasha, and Inuyasha wasn't about to tell Kaede-sensei.

"You know what? I think I'll take you up on that offer. I just need to get my things."

"I'll take care of that. You just stay here, don't go anywhere without me, and rest up; I'll go and retrieve your shit."

Inuyasha bound out of the tree fort and made his way to her things. Kagome decided that she didn't feel like just sitting around and waiting till he returned. Instead, she decided to take a look around and get herself oriented in this new environment. She slowly made her way out of the main room, mindful of her injured ankle, and took the little rope bridge that led to a couple of little storage like structures. The first one ended up storing food. There were a couple of recent kills off to the one side and a mountain of fruits and vegetable on the other side of the hut.

The second hut that Kagome came upon seemed like a dojo of sorts. There were weapons of all kinds up on the walls; spears, swords, knives, bows and arrows, staffs, and other odd looking weaponry. Kagome again wondered where he got such things when they obviously couldn't have been made within the barrier.

There was a third hut in this section of the fort that Kagome was in. This one looked a little rough around the edges and seemed to have seen a fair share of damage that the other two huts hadn't. There even seemed to be holes in the walls. Holes that suspiciously looked like claw marks. Kagome made her way toward the door to the hut, but just as she was about to open it Inuyasha appeared in front of her. His expression told her that something was wrong. He suddenly snarled at her and bared his fangs in a threatening manner; one that clearly said 'Back Off.'

Kagome jumped in fright and took a quick couple of steps back, not realizing where she was stepping, and tripped of a notch in the wooden plank. She was trying to grasp the rope that was about waste high, but she couldn't get a grip and suddenly she was falling through the air, heading toward the ground at an ever increasing speed. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. She gave an 'Oomph' as she landed in the arms of the hanyou that had scared her. She opened her eyes and looked into his face as he looked down into hers. His expression had changed. Instead of the anger that had been so blatantly displayed only moments ago, he now sported an annoyed yet contrite face.

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you, but that building is off limits. Got that?"

His facial expressions plus the tension that his body now sported drove his point home, and although Kagome was curious about the tattered building, she agreed that she wouldn't go near it again.

Inuyasha jumped up and took the two back into the house. They had had enough fun for one night. It was time to get some sleep, at least in her case. Hanyous didn't sleep as much as a human did and Inuyasha really didn't need any sleep at this point.

He took her through the main room and off into a separate room that Kagome hadn't noticed before. It sported a soft looking bed, the likes of which Kagome had never seen. She felt as Inuyasha set her down upon the bed. She was going to question him about her things and what had taken him so long, but he placed a finger upon his lips to indicate that she was to remain quiet.

"Good night Kagome, you can ask whatever questions you want tomorrow, but for now you need to sleep and rest up. Now get some sleep."

With that Inuyasha made his way out of the room and Kagome was left alone in the dark. 'Might as well take him up on the sleep offer. This has been quite a day.' With that Kagome drifted off into the land of the sleeping.

Here's the next chapter. This chapter is just setting the mood for the next couple of chappies and to reveal a couple of important factors that will be used later in the story. I hope you all enjoyed this and leave a review if you have the time! Till next time, Ja ne!


	3. Evil afoot, wtf!, and a scare

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor anything associated with Inuyasha.

Pairing: Inu/Kag

I hope you all enjoyed that moment of fluffiness in the last chappie. This story is about to pick up so I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Haha, please remember to review and let me know what you people think about this story so far.

Now, on with the story!

Kagome woke from her restful sleep feeling better than you she had in a long time. It was then that she noticed that the small cot-like bed she had fallen asleep on had magically transformed into a large canopied bed, complete with silk sheets and fluffy pillows, the likes of which she had never seen before. 'No wonder I feel so good. Anyone who spent a night in a bed like this would feel this awesome.' Not wanting to tread anywhere that she wasn't welcome, Kagome slipped out of bed and silently padded toward the direction he had told her the hot spring was in. When she reached the spring, she found a delightfully quaint little onsen in which she could bathe. She stripped her sleeping yukata off and glided into the spring, relishing in the warm, bubbly water. She had the odd feeling that someone was watching her, but she shrugged it off. If it were Inuyasha she would have sensed him by now. Even his aura was loud and obnoxious. She decided to continue to enjoy her bath as she saw fit before her skin got all pruney and weird looking.

**Elsewhere…**

He retracted his aura knowing that the little miko had felt him watching her. He knew that convincing the other elders to banish Inuyasha was a good idea. He had had a feeling that Inuyasha's exile would lead to something even greater for him. The miko was delicious, both her body and her power. She was quite ignorant to the amount of power that coursed through her body, but he was not. She was the exact image of his former love, wretched onna. Every reincarnation looked like her in someway, but this one seemed to be the exact image. He wasn't sure what that meant except that the power levels were nearly identical as well. The last incarnation that came in contact with Inuyasha had proved an easy target, easily swayed to believe all he had told her, but he got the feeling that those kinds of games wouldn't work with her.

She would be a lovely little morsel to break when the time came…

**With Inuyasha…**

He had been waiting patiently for Kagome to awaken. The damn girl seemed to sleep like the dead. He wasn't sure what they would do when she was conscious, but he knew that he needed to be nice to her. The funny thing was that it seemed to be easier to be nice to her than it had ever been to be nice to other people before. Usually he was scorned and looked down upon for being a hanyou and it was very difficult to be polite and kind around people that made their dislike of you plainly known. With Kagome though, it was actually very easy to act polite since she didn't seem to dislike his heritage. She had actually seemed fascinated by the fact that he was a hanyou…almost as if she had never seen one before. That was weird since they were all over the country, thousands of them. At least there had been thousands when he had been permitted to roam the country freely. He wasn't sure how long, exactly, he had been in exile, but if he had to guess he would say a few hundred years. He couldn't quite remember the exact reason he was here, just that he had turned down a woman, several times, when she came at him and suddenly one of the elders had begun to demand he be exiled for the woman's murder. Of course he hadn't murdered her, he couldn't even remember who she was, but that elder, damn him, had been adamant about the murder. Now, here he was, several hundred years later, still confined to a mountain top, only able to get things through stealing them from the world or making them himself.

Suddenly he heard the faint sound of footsteps alerting him to Kagome's state of consciousness. He knew that she would probably go for the hot springs or the kitchen, by the sounds of it, he'd say the hot springs. He was about to go back to his brooding when he felt the intense sense of something sinister and evil. The aura felt vaguely familiar and he could feel a growl welling up in his throat. He sped his way toward the hot springs when the aura suddenly vanished. Not wanting to anger the miko, he turned the opposite direction and began to prepare breakfast for the two of them.

Half an hour later Kagome came through the doorway and made her way toward him to see what he was doing. When she noticed that he had a rabbit and several fish roasting over the fire, she felt her stomach growl and she realized how hungry she truly was. She looked up at Inuyasha but noticed that he was fixated on the food. She wanted to ask him if he had felt the ominous presence of evil that she had felt earlier, but she was afraid that he would laugh at her and call her stupid of something of the like. When he looked over at her and gave her a weird look she could no longer hold her tongue.

"What are you looking at!"

"Feh, nothing that concerns you, bitch."

Inuyasha inwardly cringed at his crude choice of words. There was no way she would ever like him the way he needed if he kept being a bastard to her, and judging by her bright red face and sputtering, he hadn't made any headway just then.

Kagome couldn't believe that he was being such a jerk! Forget asking him of the evil presence, she hoped it kicked his ass if he never felt it. It would serve him right. The longer Kagome stewed in her thoughts, the less angry she got. The more she thought of it the more she realized that he hadn't really been around people for a while and maybe he didn't know how to act around her. With this in mind, she tried to start the conversation on a better note.

"Thank you Inuyasha; for letting me use your hot springs and for getting breakfast ready. I know you didn't have to catch anything, so appreciate your courtesy."

Inuyasha fought down a blush that threatened to over take his face. No one had ever thanked him for something, at least not since his mother had been around. He could barely remember her anymore, but he did know that she had never treated as the vermin everyone else thought him to be.

"Keh, your welcome wench. Maybe you'll catch something for dinner so that you don't seem so useless."

'Shit, that was a good thing to say to her. Why can't I ever say what I really mean instead of saying mean things to her? I'm such an ass.'

Kagome's face took on a new shade of red and the looked as if she were going to blow a gasket. She grabbed one of the fish off the fire and strode to the opposite side of the room to eat her food away from the grumpy hanyou. She didn't know why he was being such a bastard but she needed time to cool off or she would irrationally use her secret weapon.

"Damn it bitch, don't sulk in the corner like a cry baby. I was just implying that you hadn't done anything useful since you came to this mountain."

'Fuck cooling off. That's it!'

"Alright Inuyasha, I've tried to be nice and I've tried to ignore your mean comments, but it stops here."

A flash of fear flickered in his eyes and Kagome almost laughed at it. 'That's right Inu, be afraid, be very afraid.'

Kagome put her hands together and began to chant in a language that Inuyasha didn't recognize. He heard a whistling sound and turned to his left, towards the doorway, where the sounds were coming from. A glowing something or other shot through the doorway and assimilated itself around his neck. When he reached his hands up to grab the thing and inspect it, his hands made contact with something that was glassy and beaded. He looked down and realized that there was a fanged rosary around his neck.

"What the fuck is this?"

"That my dear Inu is a subjugation necklace. All I have to do is activate it and you will be forced to shut up."

"Why the fuck did you do that you bit..."

"OSUWARI!"

Inuyasha suddenly found his face full of floor and ash as he was dragged down close to the fire. He couldn't believe this wench had placed a god damned subduing necklace around his neck. HIS neck. No one controlled him. His youkai was screaming to be let out to teach the evil onna a lesson and he found that he couldn't ignore it; it had been so long since he had let it out and the pull was just too strong. His eyes bled red as his demonic features manifested themselves. He raised his head and looked toward the damned bitch that had done this to one such as him.

Kagome realized that she had made a grave mistake when he raised his head and she realized that his youkai had broken free. She hadn't imagined this happening… 'Oh my gosh, he's going to come after me! Run Kagome!' Kagome tried to run towards the doorway and was forced to avoid the "Sankontessou" that was thrown her way as she ran as fast as she could. She heard the splintering of wood and screamed as she felt the floor beneath her give way and she was suddenly falling to the ground far below.

Inuyasha reigned in his youkai just in time to hear Kagome scream and the watch was the floor disappeared beneath her and she plummeted to the forest floor a long ways down. He tried to reach her in time but the damned osuwari she had screamed when he let loose his claw attack kept him immobile. He was helpless to do anything as he heard the breaking of tree branches and birds nests and then finally the tell tale thump of something heavy connecting with the ground. Several seconds later he was frantically jumping up and rushing to her aide, hoping that she would be alright and that she would forgive him for his weakness. First he had to see if she was still alive. When he got to the ground all he could see was blood and a lump covered in leaves and dirt. He rushed to her side, hoping and praying that she was still alive. He turned her over to realize that she wasn't breathing…

Ok, I know it's a lot shorter than my other chapters, but I think the cliffy will make you guys feel differently about it. HAHA, I know I'm evil. Review and I'll get the next chapter out sooner! The more reviews I get the sooner the next chappie comes out! Haha, I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do! Ja ne for now!


	4. Kagome's condition and her decision

1Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor anything associated with Inuyasha.

Pairing: Inu/Kag

Sorry to everyone about this story taking the back burner for a few months. I've had a lot of crazy things going on in my life and I haven't had much time to write. My other stories kind of got away from me, and this one got a little lost. Now it has been found and I will try to update it more often.

Thank you to all of my readers, and sorry to WTW who thought I was discontinuing this story. When I read your review, I decided I had to update asap. I hadn't realized that it had been so long, I'm very sorry and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

On top of everything, I recently had surgery...just had a cyst removed, but it's been enough to keep my from my usual activities. Sorry about the wait, I had planned to have this chapter out sooner, but it just wasn't meant to be.

This chapter is dedicated to WTW for making me realize how neglectful I have been to this story. Thank you my friend for bringing this to my attention.

Now, On with the story!!

_When he got to the ground all he could see was blood and a lump covered in leaves and dirt. He rushed to her side, hoping and praying that she was still alive. He turned her over to realize that she wasn't breathing…_

Inuyasha knew what needed to be done, but he wasn't sure she'd understand why it was needed later. He reached down and breathed into her mouth, trying to get her to breathe on her own. There was blood oozing from several deep gashes on her arms, legs, and stomach, and her left arm was bent at a weird angle. There was a small gash on the side of her head and a large lump near her left temple. It was painfully obvious by the huge bruises and the shape of the gashes that she had landed on her left side. Inuyasha wasn't sure how he was going to keep her from dying. If she didn't bleed out, the fact that she wasn't breathing would surely lead to death...unless she was dead already. He knew he could save her; he had seen people be brought back to life, even after they had stopped breathing.

He continued his attempts to get her to breathe when suddenly there was a bright flash of light from her hip. Kagome shook and a heart wrenching gasp escaped her bleeding lips. The light suddenly died down and Inuyasha looked into her face again. She was breathing again, but the breaths were shallow, and the gashes were still oozing blood at an alarming rate. Inuyasha steeled himself for what was to come next.

Kagome felt like she was in a haze. One minute she had yelled 'Osuwari' and the next she was dropping through the air like a rock. Pain exploded across her back, legs and arms. Something struck the back of her head and dragged up the left side. Her arm caught and wrenched, but she kept falling. She didn't even have time to scream at the pain in her arm before pain shot all along the left side of her body and the world went dark. The next thing she knew, her whole body felt like it was being electrocuted and suddenly she was looking up into the face of Inuyasha. He looked like the world had ended. His cute little ears were flicking in his agitation. Kagome closed her eyes as she wondered at exactly how she had ended up laying on her side/back and feeling like she had broken every single bone in her body. She was just starting to remember the circumstances of her fall when Inuyasha decided to set her dislocated shoulder back in place. Pain spread from her shoulder to her hand and the blackness she had been keeping at bay swamped over her tired mind, carrying her to oblivion once again.

Inuyasha felt better now that her shoulder was back in place. Of course, the arm was broken as well, but at least now it was back where it needed to be. He couldn't imagine how much pain Kagome would been in when she came to full consciousness. He felt terrible about letting his beast out. If he hadn't succumbed to it, Kagome wouldn't have fallen through the wooden walkway. Time for regrets would come later though, right now he needed to stop the bleeding. He carefully moved her head and legs so that her body was lying straight out on the ground. He was glad she wasn't conscious for this part, it would be quite embarrassing. Inu started with her left arm by lifting it to his lips. He bit down on the tip of his tongue with his fangs, drawing blood. He licked at the small cuts that dotted along her hand, until he got to the long gashes created by thick branches that she caught on the way down. The first one cut from where her arm met her body all the way to just past her elbow. The cut was pretty deep too. He bit down on his tongue once more, then licked down the middle of the gash, watching as his demon blood went to work at healing her torn flesh. The process was slow going, but eventually Inuyasha had stopped the bleeding on both of her arms, and from her feet to mid thigh. He wasn't sure he should venture any higher, that was forbidden territory, and even though she was quite beautiful, and his instincts were telling him to mate, he refrained from the temptation. Instead he ripped open the back of her priestess robes and began to work on the large gashes that crossed her back. It looked as though someone had whipped her brutally. The ragged flesh around the wounds was an angry red color and encompassed a good portion of her back. If he were a lesser male, he might actually gag at the damage done to her body.

After an hour or two, Inuyasha had gotten all of the larger cuts to stop bleeding and most of the smaller cuts were almost healed. He wasn't sure what internal damage had been done, but he was more worried about her head injuries than anything else. His demon blood would help take care of any internal bleeding, but if her brain was damaged too badly, not even demon blood would be able to help. He lifted Kagome up bridal style, and began to jump into the trees, making his way back to his hut. Inu laid Kagome out on his futon and looked around for something to tear up for bandages. He remembered the supplies she had with her when she had come to this place, so he retrieved the pack and began to search through it for bandages. Finding the bandages was a little harder than he had thought it would be, but he finally had them out and began to wrap her up. Arms were wrapped first, followed by her legs and then her back. After he had finished with all he could do for her, he sat back and started the long wait that would determine whether she would recover or not.

Kagome was swimming through a haze of darkness. Every direction she turned inky blackness greeted her tired eyes. There was an oddly detached feeling around her, like she was supposed to be somewhere, but wasn't. It was very cold, almost like the air itself was frozen in the dark. Kagome tried to call out to Inuyasha, Shippo, her mother...anyone, but there was not a single noise. She had given up at finding out anything about her surroundings when a women stepped out of the shadows. The woman's long, black hair was pulled up in a top knot ponytail, with two braids framing either side of her porcelain face. Her beauty was not dramatic, yet it was undeniable that this woman was very beautiful. Her dark chocolate eyes stared into Kagome's, never straying elsewhere. The line of her nose was long and straight, an aristocratic point. Her lips were neither full nor thin. Their color not quite red, but not quite any other color either. She seemed warm and inviting, yet cold and untouchable. She was a contradiction of massive proportions. She looked like royalty, yet carried the bearing and stance of a common foot soldier. Kagome was at a complete loss as to what she should do. Speak or keep quiet...both seemed appealing and not at once. As Kagome floated in the abyss, contemplating her next move, the woman chose to make the first step. She floated toward Kagome, her expression never changing.

"You have finally come. I wasn't sure when you would finally succumb to the pull of the shikon."

"Wha...? The shikon? Just who are you?"

The woman gave Kagome a blank look and then seemed to give a long, suffering sigh.

"What do you remember last?"

Kagome thought really hard, but the only image that would come to mind was a vivid picture of Inuyasha lunging for her and then plummeting to the wooden pathway as she experienced a feeling of weightlessness before pain exploded through different parts of her body.

"I only remember say 'Osuwari' to Inuyasha and then the feeling of my body being ripped apart. What does that have anything to do with where we are and what we are going to do now?"

For a long moment, the woman just stood still in front of Kagome. Nothing stirred in the stale air of the abyss around them. No breeze sent their hair swaying; no sound ricocheted off of the invisible walls of their "prison". The sensation was completely unnerving for Kagome. She was about to question this vaguely familiar woman when the woman beat her to the punch.

"You almost died Kagome. Technically you did die, but it is not your fate to end here, so I was able to bring you back until the hanyou was able to come up with a way to save you. You have been careless in the couple of weeks since you knew about your final test. A miko of your magnitude cannot afford to be lax in her defenses. There are many in this world who would use your power and influence to further their own selfish agendas. You have great potential, but now you must cultivate that potential. You need to understand that your fate is intertwined with that of the hanyou that you have recently made the acquaintance. You must ask him why he is where he is. He cannot tell you everything, but you are the one to set him free. He must not know that yet. I have chosen to appear to you to inform you that your life is about to make a drastic change. Many will frown upon the choices you are bound to make. You must decide now whether you think you are able to continue on this path. Your path in life will be a difficult one for sometime to come, but it is what the kami's wish for you. Yet, if you are unable to bear the burden of such, you are being given an out. The last thing the world needs is for the shikon maiden to fall prisoner to the darkness inside her own soul. You must make that choice soon. There is an evil force at work here, and I do not have enough energy stay in this form for long periods. You have exactly 2 weeks to find the path you must take and make your choice. Much will happen during this time, but you must keep your mind clear. Not only will this decision affect your life, but also the lives of all your loved ones, and all those to come. I must go, but think about what I have told you, and remember...you have very limited time. You can do this, the question is do you believe in yourself and the strength of your future love?"

With this being said, the mysterious woman began to fade in front of Kagome's eyes.

"Wait! I don't know what you are talking about! What evil is at work? How am I supposed to know what choice to make? I need your help! Gees, I don't even know your name!"

"You need not worry too much, the choice will present itself and you will make a decision. Pray you make the correct one. I have faith in you...and my name is unimportant."

"But who are you?! I need to know!"

"You may call me Midoriko."

The world exploded in a flash of color, fresh air, and the smell of healing herbs being burned. Kagome laid where she was for several seconds before she realized that she was indeed conscious and not just dreaming. She studied her surrounding and realized that she was in a building. There were warm furs piled around her and she saw the flicker of a flame, indicating the presence of a fire. The walls were decorated with painting that she had never seen before. A small noise drew her attention to the door to the hut. There stood Inuyasha, staring at her blankly for a moment. Suddenly he was at her side, offering her water from an animal skin sack. Kagome was trying to remember what the woman, Midoriko, had been telling her when she recalled the question she was to ask.

"Inu..yasha. I must ask you something."

"You can ask me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to answer. You should be resting anyway. Lay down and go back to sleep. You pathetic human body can't handle the plummet you took. You need to rest so you can heal."

"But, I must know. Why are you all alone out here? Why are you secluded this far from civilization, away from anyone and anything?"

Inuyasha felt as though Kagome had struck him across the face. First she almost dies, then she remains unconscious for days on end, and now she was asking questions that she had no business knowing the answers to.

"It's none of your damned business bitch. Why the hell would you want to know about that? It has nothing to do with you, so just forget you ever asked it. I don't plan on telling you anything."

With that, Inuyasha stomped from the hut, but remained close in case Kagome decided to do something stupid. The stupid wench had only been in his life for less than a week, but she was already proving to be a troublesome and headstrong girl. He knew that by ridiculing her, he had only bought himself some time. Something told him she wouldn't give up so easily, and the frightening part about it was the fact that part of him wished to answer and damned question she had to ask.

Kagome lay back on the futon and stared at the ceiling of the hut for a few long moments. When she had finished her contemplating, she realized that Inuyasha was just putting up a front because he didn't want to answer her questions nor analyze his life to closely. She had gathered by the way he acted sometimes that his childhood must have been as far from nice and loving as a childhood could. She would have to get past his fierce defenses before he would answer any of the pressing questions she was supposed to get the answers to. But if there was something that Kagome loved, it was a good challenge. 'Consider this one accepted, Inuyasha. I will learn the answers to all the questions you try to hide, and all of the little things you don't want anyone to know.'

Well, I apologize for the long delay in this chapter coming out. I just had surgery and I have been pretty drugged up for the last two weeks. I have the next chapter to There can be no love without Justice, and For us it will be forever. Rest assured readers, I did not die. I've got a couple of new ideas too, but I'm going to hold off on them until I finish the stories I have already started. My secret lover will have a new chapter coming up soon as well. Just sit tight, and I will get all of these out for you my awesome readers!! PLEASE REVIEW...I'm not sure whether I like this chapter or not. Let me know what you think! Ja Ne for now!


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